Changing Hope
by writingluver
Summary: A continuation of the Last Sacrifice, that pretty much starts where it left off. All from Rose's POV.


Changing Hope

Chapter 1

**A/N Okay, so this is my first fanfiction ever. I've actually only gotten into it in the last few weeks and wanted to try my hand. I want this story to be close to what I think Richelle Mead would write. I also will try to post at least once a week, hopefully twice. Hope you enjoy. Tell me what you think. (Keeping in the spirit of the book it will be in Rose's POV). Here goes nothing:**

I felt my heart rate increase as I dodged a blow incoming blow from a Strigoi. I dropped to the ground, whipping my legs out, hoping to knock him aside. It worked. I used my swinging motion to flip over and stake him in the crest. He fought for a few more seconds before his energy faded. I pushed the stake in harder just for good measure, then ripped it out and rejoined the fight.

My day had not been going well before we had been ambushed by a group of five Strigoi. Lissa had insisted that she needed to go out of court. No one had thought it was a good idea. First of all she was the Queen, second she was still one of the last Dragomirs and third more and more Strigoi had taken to lurking around the royal court, feeding on Moroi stupid enough to leave its safety. But she had insisted. And she was Moroi, Queen actually. So who were her guardians to say anything about it?

In some ways I understood her need to leave. Even though we no longer had the bond I could still sense that she was tense and worried. The pressure of spirit, being Queen and the added pressure of no longer having the bond was really taking a toll on her. As much as I wished that I could do something to help her I was still happy that I was no longer draining her dark energy. After what happened to Victor…

Suddenly my thoughts snapped back to the fight. Right in time for me to see the fist of a large, blond Strigoi headed at my head. I ducked again, but I wasn't quite fast enough. The punch clipped the top of my head and through me off balance. I tried to grab out and right my self, but my hands only latched on to the blondie's neck. He snarled and tried to through me off of him. I clung on and he reached out and grabbed my neck as well.

I pulled away, in the process shoving his hands away from me. But his hands were intertwined with the thin silver chain that I also wore around my neck, and as I shoved him away he pulled it off. I tried to lung for it, but he attacked me. I kicked him back, ignoring the necklace for one second and charging him.

I thrust my weight forward and pushed my stake at his heart. It meant resistance, but I managed to push if firmly him, watching his body stop moving and fell to the ground. I pulled it out again and looked up. Most of the battle had stopped. One guardian was still fighting a vicious looking Strigoi woman, but as I watched he managed to pin her to the ground and stake her.

We had been lucky. All five of the guardians that had stayed and fought were okay. Well by okay I mean still alive. One looked like he had a broken leg, but he sucked up the pain and hobbled over to the car. I took a step towards it too, and then remembered the necklace.

Bending down I tried to see the glinting heart pendent. I saw I dot of light coming from under the Strigoi had had just killed and pushed him out of the way.

"Hathaway," a loud booming voice came from some where behind me. "What are you doing?"

Crouched down to pick up the necklace when I noticed that the shinny thing wasn't the pendent. Correction, it was a part of it. Someone, me or the Strigoi, must have stepped on it. I wasn't sure, but I knew that that it couldn't be good. I already felt a little darkness streaming back into me.

I had hoped that since the bond between me and Lissa had been broken my… insanity has subsisted, but I guess that was not the case. I never had the courage to take the charm off and test my theory. I wanted to cry, but that was defiantly not something I could do in front of all these guardians.

I sighed then noticed other fragments lying of the ground. I picked them up as well and shoved them all in my pocket. I considered how long it was until I went fully mad. It hadn't hit instantly like it had the last time and I was thankful for that. I did not want insanity added to the long list of things that set me aside from other guardians. I guessed that it wasn't so pronounced because I wasn't taking spirit directly from Lissa.

"Hathaway," the voice barked again. I turned around to see Harker standing over me. "Get up. Move it. We have to get back to the Queen."

I sighed internally. I loved guarding Lissa, even if I now did it with nine other guardians and not just one. But I have to say I really hated Harker. He was an amazing fighter, almost as good as Dimitri, but has was really an ass. He though that I was a juvenile pain the butt and punished me any chance he got.

"Yessir," I said standing up. His eyes narrow when I called him sir. He had no faith in my ability to follow authority. Well neither did I.

The guardians piled into the van, quite after the fight. I just hoped that Lissa had gotten away safe, but I didn't doubt the ability of five of the best guardians to keep her safe.

I car ride seamed to take ages. The whole time I felt like I was inching my way over the edge of a cliff. Managed to rein in my feeling though. I squeezed my nails to the soft inside of my palm, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough so my mind stayed sharp.

**A/N Thing don't seem to be going to well for Rose. I hope they take a turn for the better... yeah right! Review. More to come.**


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